COVID-19 pandemic

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Pokémon posters promoting washing hands and gargling

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of the disease COVID-19 caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 that began in December 2019. Having spread worldwide, it has had a significant effect on the both the Pokémon franchise and the world as a whole.

Pokémon Center and Pokémon Stores

All Pokémon Center and Pokémon Store retail stores in Japan are closed as of April 17.

On February 26, various events and in-store events were canceled or postponed and subsequently canceled as of April 15. On February 27, the grand opening of Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo previously scheduled for March 6 was postponed. On March 9, various health measures were put in place for employees and large events were canceled until May 6.

Pokémon Centers Tokyo DX, Mega Tokyo, Shibuya, Skytree Town, Yokohama, Osaka DX, Osaka, and Fukuoka as well as the Pokémon Stores at Tokyo Station, Narita Airport, Itami Airport, and Kansai Airport were closed beginning on April 8, Pokémon Center Nagoya and the Pokémon Store at Chubu International Airport were closed beginning on April 11, Pokémon Center Kyoto was closed beginning on April 15, and the remaining stores were closed beginning on April 18. Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka DX, and Osaka as well as the Pokémon Stores at Tokyo Station, Narita Airport, Chubu International Airport, Itami Airport, Kansai Airport, Department Store Ryubo, and Aeon Mall Okinawa Rycom are currently scheduled to reopen on May 6.

Play! Pokémon and organized play

On March 6, the 2020 Pokémon Europe International Championships were canceled, and adjustments were made to the TCG ruleset to reduce player contact. On March 13, the Regional Championships in Mississauga/Toronto, Charlotte, Joinville, and Salt Lake City were cancelled. On March 31, the 2020 North America International Championships and the 2020 Pokémon World Championships were cancelled. As a result, the 2020 Play! Pokémon Championship Series was suspended, including all sanctioned Play! Pokémon events. No Championship Points would be awarded for the rest of the season. It was also announced that the 2021 World Championships would be held in London in its place.

In Japan, on February 14 and 21, Elementary Gym Challenge and Pokémon Game Gym events were canceled beginning on February 29, respectively. As of March 23, the Champions League Miyagi on April 29, City League Season 4, and Trainers' League events were canceled beginning on April 4. The Pokémon Japan Championships are currently still scheduled to be held from June 27-28.

In South Korea, on February 3, the 2019-20 Korean League Season 2 scheduled for February 15-16 was postponed. On February 22, operations of the Pokémon School were suspended. On April 3, 2019-20 Korean League events were suspended as a result of the cancellation of the World Championships. Mini League and Korean League competitions were also canceled in South Korea.

In Taiwan, on March 20, the Taiwan Regional League scheduled for April 18-19 and Taiwan Town League were postponed. In Hong Kong, on March 28, Teaching Day, Card Day, and Gym Battle events from March 29 to April 11 were postponed by 14 days to comply with public health measures. On March 31, the Taiwan Championships, Hong Kong Championships, Regional League, and Town League events were canceled as a result of the cancellation of the World Championships.

In the games

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 World Championships, the 2020 International Challenge April Online Competition will not award Championship Points.

In Pokémon GO

On February 28, Nidorino and Gengar Raid Day scheduled for March 1 was canceled in Japan, South Korea, and Italy. It was also announced that March Community Day and other limited-time events would be canceled in these countries.

On March 12, Abra Community Day was postponed worldwide and various adjustments were made to the game. On March 17, Raid Hour was canceled. On March 18, the Safari Zone events in St. Louis, Liverpool, and Philadelphia were postponed. On March 20, GO Battle League was changed to remove walking and PokéCoin requirements and to lower the Friendship level requirement for Trainer Battles with friends until May 1. On March 23, Lugia Raid Week and Raid Hour were canceled. On March 27, the Thundurus and Cobalion events were extended until March 31 and Raid Hours were canceled indefinitely. On March 30, the https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/april2020/ On March 31, the The Shadow Threat Grows Special Research was extended through the end of April. Gym interaction distance was doubled.

On April 3, it was announced that the hatch distance for Eggs would be halved and that the Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour events would be combined for the month of April. On April 16, it was announced that the Abra Community Day previously scheduled for March will be held on April 25.

In the TCG

Due to the cancellation of March 2020-May 2020 Pokémon Card Gym events, the S-P Promotional cards in the pack were not distributed.

On April 7, the name of Strength Expansion Pack World Down was changed to Infinity Zone, likely due to the negative connotations of the previous name.

In the anime

On April 3, two Pokémon movies began to be added weekly to Pokémon TV as part of a Pokémon Movie Marathon.

From March 18-31 and April 8-30, all episodes of the new series were made available for free on YouTube in Japan. On April 3, the release of special advance tickets for M23 scheduled for April 17 was postponed. As of April 3, the release date of the movie itself has not been postponed. On April 19, following the broadcast of SS022, it was announced that reruns would be aired in place of new episodes on TV Tokyo due to parts of production going on break, the only unplanned hiatus of the anime since the Porygon incident. The following episodes were delayed as a result:

Code	Japanese title	Planned broadcast	Actual broadcast
SS023	大パニック！サクラギパーク！！	April 26, 2020	—
SS024	休め！ロケット団！！	May 3, 2020	—
SS025	命爆発バトルフェス！VSメガルカリオ！！	May 10, 2020	—

In South Korea, the theatrical release of M22 was postponed on April 9.

In Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, two episodes of Pokémon: Indigo League are being uploaded daily to the official YouTube channel for a limited time beginning on April 17 as part of the "Home Fun for Pokémon Fans" campaign.

Other

In the United States, HBO made the Detective Pikachu movie available for free as part of a #StayHomeBoxOffice campaign from April 3 to the end of the month through the HBO NOW or HBO GO apps.

In Thailand, beginning on March 26, the official Facebook page began a #FunFromHome campaign.

In Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, printable activity coloring pages were made available on April 7 as part of the "Home Fun for Pokémon Fans" campaign.

See also

• Pokémon controversy